Piano-player.



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PIANO PLAYER. APILIOATION FILED 110V. 13, 1909.

1,098, 1 36. Patented May 26,Y 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

' board, 5, has extend 1 an arm,v 6, which communicates by means of `or tacks, 11,

iTED s'rA'rEs PATENT oEEicE.

RNEY, F DAVENPORT, IOWA, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, T0

EIGENE T. TU

YORK, N. Y., A CORPOBATION'OF AMERICAN PLAYER .CTION COMPANY, OF NEW NEW YORK.

PIANO-PLAYER.

Patented May 26, 1914.

Application filed November 13,1909. Serial No. 527,918.

098,136. l speciaauon or Letters Patent.

other suitable material, l2, .so as to form a valve, through the holes, 10, but will prevent ingress of air into the bellowstherethrough.

it 'may concern I, EUGENE T. Torrini', States, residing at 9 all whom Be it known that citizen of the United which will permit air robe expelled )avenport, in the county of Scott and State f Iowa, have invented a new and useful A spring, 13, is secured between the botmprovemcnt in Piano-Players, of which the. tom of the board, 5, and the lug, 3, upon the ollowiiig is a specification. arm, 2, so as to normally hold the board, 5, My invention relates to improvements in to )iano players, and has special reference to he provision o improved mechanism or )reducing a vacuum and the valve mechaiism connecting therewith, leading both to ;he playing 'mechanism proper, and to the notor.

The object of lmy invention .is the provision of simple and effective mechanism disosed in a compact and substantial manner,

which will accomplish a considerable econclosely adjacent to the base-board, 1, and

16, and between the arm, 16 and a casing, be

omy of space in installation. I attain 16, in which is the wind-passage, 17, to this object by the mechanism illustrated in presently described, is a spring, `18, which the bellows-board, 14, away normally holds board, 5, and maintainsthebelbetween said position. The bellows between the boards, 111, and 5, opens into the rear of the bellows between the boards 5 and 1, and basa valve, 19, shown in ig. 1, simit la-r to the valve, 12, for preventing the pascase; and Fig. 3 isa i from the lows, formed tended or open rear elevation of the mechanism shown in Fig. 2.

Similar reference numerals refer to simisage of anyy air into the exten lar parts throughout the several views. from the hist-described bellows. Located The reference 4numeral 1 designates a upon the back of the board, 5, adjacent to .the bellows formed by the board, 14, is the casing, 16a, containing the wind passage 17, which connects with said bellows by means of the aperture, 20, clearly shown in Fig; 2. The object of providing this secondary, spring-opened bellows, is as the first-described, larger bellows, 'is actuated, it withdraws air bellows, and causes the spring, 18, to be co tracted, and the bellows to collapse. While the larger bellows is recovering for another stroke, the .operation o base-board, which, in upright pianos, is secured vertically in the portion of the case beiowthe key-board. The'b'ase-board, 1, is secured firmly in position, and carries all of the mechanism hereafter to be described, except the communicating air conduits, which lead between the bellows and from the bellows to the piano player proper and the motor.

Extending inwardly V:from one corner of the bottom of the base-board, 1, is the arm, 2, which has the stop or lug, 3at its rear extremity. Attached to therear face ofthe baseboard, l, by means of the bellows-fold, 11, is a movable bellows-board,.5. The bellowsing 'om its lower edge a continual suction of 4air.

1, structures as provided upon bellows .at either side o a link, 7, and rod, 8, with the foot-treadle, 9. lon the respective A The base-board, 1, is provided witha suitthe piano, are the valve cases, 21 and 22.' The valve case, 21, leads to the motor, and is able number of perforations, 10, and over these is secured loosely by means of screws, a flexible piece Aof leather, or

arranged as follows of the valve-case is provided an opening, 23,

boards, in an ex- A return it to that position after'it has been ded bellows 'I follows.: VVhe'n-- from the secondary,

f the spring, 18,

. causes the distention of the second bellows, j

Located' 'o'iithe top of the base-board, 1, y

ios

z In one side of tlie back 5 The portion of the valve casing, 2l, into which enters the opening, 23,-is separated by suitable partitions, 26, from the rest of the valve chamber. I have designated this se arated portion by the reference numeral, 2li,

Iand a passage, 28, leads therefrom to the top of ,the casing. The passage, 28, leads into a `small bellows formed by the bellows board, 29, and suitable bellows-folds, and from thence through an aperture, 30, back into another compartment, 31, provided in the valve casing, 21. The inner tace of the bellows-board, 29, is provided with a conical plug, 32, which extends into the aperture, 30. An arm, 33, extends from the board, 29, and a spring, 34, connects the arm, 33, with the top of the basesboard, 1. The'spring, 34, keeps the bellows-board, 29, Aand the bellows, in an extended position, and thereby nor.- mally maintains the plug, 32, out of the aperture, 30. This last-described valve mechanism, is for the purpose of avoiding a sudden acceleration of the motor by means of an increased vacuum, which may be desired for the purpose of strengthening the piano action, and its operation is as follows: Any excess of vacuum, or sudden vacuum, tends to cause a collapsing of the bellowsboard, 29, against the action of the spring, 34. The collapsing' of the bellows-board drives the conical plug, 32, into the aperture, 30, and thereby prevents the air from owing therethrough. As will be perceived, the action of this mechanism is automatic, and tends to, and actually does, maintain a vi0 regular and uninterrupted and unvaried vacuum or exhaust from the motor.

The small compartment, 31, opens through a conical aperture 35, into still-another compartment, 36, inl the valve casing, 21. The compartment, 36, leads directly through the channel, 37, to the motor, (not shown) Extending through the side wall, and the partition, 26of the valve casing, 21, is a'valve rod, or stem, 38, upon which is a conical valve, 39, extending into the conical hole, 35, before-mentioned. The 'valve stem or rod, 38, is connectedr with a lever arm, 39a, the upper end of which extends to a position in front of the key-board of the piano, where it can be Iconveniently operated.

When it is desired to accelerate the motor, and thereby the tempo of the musical composition which the apparatus is reproducing, the lever arm, 39a, is operated, which causes the withdrawal of the conical plug, 39, from the conical aperture, 35, thereby making a larger passage for the Flow of the air from the motor into the vacuum created byV the bellows, through the aperture, 35.

.The conical structure of the plug and aper.-

ture, together with the horizontal disposition of .the valve and valverod, renders the action extremely easy and free from sticking.

The valve case, 22, is provided with but two compartments, 40 and 41. Into the com-- 70- partment 40 opens the passage, 42, which leads from the bellows which carries the valve-casing, 22, and for the. purpose of utilizing the excess vacuum created by the other bellows, upon which is mounted valve casing 21, which is not required for running the motor, there is provided a tubing, 43, extending between the casings, 2l and 22,

which also opens into the compartment, 40.

The compartment, 40, opens into the com- 8G partment, 41, through the aperture, 44,.and from the compartment, 41, leads the airtube, 45which extends to the key-operating mechanism, (not shown). An aperture, 46,

is provided in the partition, 26, in the valvecasing, 21, between the compartment, 27, into which the bellows opens, and the com-V partment, 36, which is connected with the motor. The apertures 44 and 46 in the respective valve-cases, 21 and 22, are in hori- 90 zontal alinement, and a valve-stem or rod, 47, extends between the same.

On one end of the valve rod, 47, is a valve,

48, which-closes the passage, 44, and on the other end thereof is a valve, 49, disposed so as to close the aperture, 46, when the rod is operated to openthc aperture 44. This construction is to facilitate the re-winding operation. When music is being produced, the

closed. `WhenA it is desired to re-wind the music, the valve-rod,- 47, is operated, so as to close the passage, 44, and open the passage,

46, so that the air can rush immediately from the motor through the casing, 21, to the bellows, without going through the compartment, 31, and regulating mechanism and bellows heretofore described. As will be perceived, this will shut oli the vacuum from the producing` mechanism, and thereby stop production of any notes or noises, while the rc-windingl is being accomplished. l

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1,'In a piano player, vacuum producing mechanism comprising a rigidly Fixed baseboard, a bellows carried thereby, yielding means for holding said bellows normally closed, another bellows carried by said tirstmentioned bellows and communicating therewith, yielding means for holding said last-mentioned bellows normally extended, a valve casing carried by said base-board, and a flexible connection between said last-mentioned bellows and said valve casing.

2. In a piano player, vacuum producing mechanism comprising a rigidly fixed baseboard, a bellows carried thereby, yielding means for holding said bellows normally passage 44 is open, and the passage 46 is 100 closed, another bellows carried by said first mentioned bellows and communicating therewith, yielding means for holding said last-mentioned bellows normally extended, a` valve casing carried by said base-board, and a flexible connection between said last-men tioned bellows and said valve casing, said `Valve casing "comprising two fixed compart ments and a collapsible compartment dis- -posed adjacent to each other, ports leading from said fixed compartments into said collapsible compartment, yielding means for maintaining said collapsible compartment normally distended, and moans carried by the movable portion .of said collapsible compartment for varying the capacity of one of said ports.

3. In a piano player, a foot operable mechn anism, vacuum producing mechanism actuated thereby and disposed on either side' thereof, valve casings carried upon each of said vacuum mechanisms, an air conduit between said casings, a ort in one of said casings leading to the piano playing mechanism, a port in the other of said casings leading to a motor, a valve rod extending between said ports, and Valves carried upon the ends of said rod, disposed so as to close one of said ports while the other is open.

In testimony whereof, I have set my hand in the presence of two witnesses.

EUGENE T. TURNEY.

Witnesses t WAUIER M. BALLUFF, B. B. Coon. 

